Emma Memma (aka The Former Yellow Wiggle) has built a career on making kids feel seen. And, this Book Week, that mission is getting a joyful new outlet. The ARIA Award-winning children’s entertainer behind the wildly popular Jungle Picnic world has always paired the fun with a deeper commitment: making sure every child, hearing or Deaf, gets to be part of the story.
The Story Behind the Story
If you haven’t met Emma Memma yet, here’s the quick version: she’s the beloved children’s entertainer bringing together music, dance, and visual communication in a way that feels less like a “kids’ show” and more like an invitation. Alongside her co-performer Elvin Lam – who plays Elvin Melvin and is Deaf himself – Emma has spent years championing Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and weaving it into the heart of her storytelling, rather than treating it as an add-on.
Her latest chapter, the lift-the-flap picture book Hide and Seek!, is an extension of her wildly popular Jungle Picnic Tour – a world full of characters kids already adore: Emma Memma herself, Elvin Melvin, the endlessly cheerful BB Butterfly, and Waffles the Wombat, all set against a backdrop of picnic mischief, from sneaky ants to runaway sandwiches.
It’s the kind of world that begs to be brought to life at home – which is exactly what’s happening now, just in time for Book Week.
From the Page to the Costume Box
Every year, Book Week sends families scrambling for costume ideas, classroom decorations, and craft projects that actually capture the spirit of a favourite story. This time around, the Jungle Picnic universe is stepping straight off the page and into homes and classrooms, thanks to a new collection of licensed Emma Memma images now available through Cricut Design Space.
Think Book Week costumes built around Emma Memma’s picnic rug, handmade decorations featuring Waffles the Wombat, or a classroom memory game starring the whole gang. It’s a lovely example of how creative technology can help everyday parents, teachers, and Cricut’s global community of makers turn a favourite story into something tangible – a costume, a party, a keepsake – without needing to be a professional designer.
But what makes this collection genuinely feel-good isn’t just the craft possibilities. It’s where the proceeds are going.
Every Design, A Small Act of Advocacy
All proceeds from the collection are being donated to Deaf Connect’s Leonie Jackson Memorial Fund – a cause close to Emma and Elvin’s hearts. Deaf Connect is Australia’s largest whole-of-life service provider for Deaf, Deafblind, and hard of hearing Australians, and the Leonie Jackson Memorial Fund exists for one clear purpose: ensuring every Deaf child has access to quality bilingual education, whatever their language preference.
The fund was established in memory of Leonie Jackson, a devoted advocate for Deaf education, and it continues to support projects built on the ideals she championed throughout her life.
What that means in practice is quietly wonderful: a parent cutting out a BB Butterfly shape for a Book Week costume, or a teacher printing a picnic-themed memory game for the classroom, is – without any extra effort – contributing to a child somewhere else getting better access to bilingual education. Creativity and generosity, folded into the same project.
A Partnership Built on Representation
This collaboration also marks a milestone of its own: Emma Memma is the first global Contributing Artist in Cricut’s program to direct all of her earnings straight to a not-for-profit. It’s a meaningful shift for a program that already prides itself on reflecting the diversity of its eight-million-strong community, and a reminder that representation isn’t just about who’s on screen, but about who benefits behind the scenes too.
As Nicola Dow-Smith, ANZ Regional Director at Cricut, put it, the goal has always been making sure Cricut’s community feels welcomed, represented, and inspired by what they create. Partnering with Emma Memma on a collection rooted in inclusion and accessibility is a natural extension of that.
The Happy Ending
Book Week has always been about imagination – dressing up as the characters who’ve shaped a child’s year. This year, thanks to Emma Memma, Elvin Melvin, and their Jungle Picnic crew, that imagination comes with a ripple effect: every costume cut, every classroom decoration made, every memory game played helps fund bilingual education for Deaf children across Australia.
It’s a gentle reminder of something worth holding onto – that the tools we use to make things beautiful can also make things better
